This Invention relates to mining machines, and in particular to mining machines having a forward rotating cutter head.
Such cutter heads are mounted on a boom which in use traverses across and up and down to draw the cutter head across the coal face.
The cutter head lies traversely of the boom formed of two or more cutter drums spaced end to end and separated by the width of an arm of the boom, the space between drums being a variable, but by way of example in the region of 28 cm (11"). There my be two drums with the boom arm therebetween, or three drums, namely a central drum located between two arms of the boom and two outer drums each spaced from the central drum by one of the arms.
During cutting, the areas of the coal face opposite the space between the drums are not directly cut by the drums and it is left to chance that they fall away with the cut coal. Alternatively either the boom or the machine must be moved in order that this material be cut by the cutter